3 Tips about organizing an online event

3 Tips about organizing an online event

Are you thinking about organizing an online event? I still find that many people underestimate the preparation for a digital experience. There are actually quite a few elements that you need to pay attention to. 

An online event is like a TV show. Most participants will follow a live stream, either at home or from their office, and the moderator will be in a studio with guests or speakers.

And that is of course completely different from when you are together in one event space. That is why an online event asks for a completely different mindset.

In this blog, I would like to share 3 tips with you:  

Tip 1:

Make sure that you work with a good technical party. Talk with professionals who are experienced in organizing online events. And now I can hear you think, “uh…expensive, complicated…” but it does not have to be that way. There are so many online events, and this is only increasing, especially after Covid-19. 

So there are really plenty of production teams, small or large, who want to work together with your team and get started with you. Even if you want a simple set-up for your online event, it really does not have to be expensive. Have a meeting with an experienced director or producer.

Discuss your ideas with them and find out what fits best for your event in terms of budget, location, etc. And that way, it becomes clearer what is possible and what suits your event best. 

And if you would like to talk with some production teams and technical professionals, I know quite a few. So don’t hesitate, send me a message and I will be more than happy to share their details with you.  

Tip 2: 

Because participants are watching the online event via their screen, it is much easier for them to drop out. I mean, you are at home, you can walk away from the screen for a while, you can switch off the camera, you can put yourself on mute, maybe you have kids walking around… There are so many things that can take your attention away from the event. 

Therefore, it is very important to decide on the role of your viewers. Do you want them to be listeners? Or do you want to give them a more active role? Despite the intention that they should be given an active role, they often still become more listeners. And this is OK during a lecture or an inspiring keynote.

But if you have a broad, longer program, it is essential to actively involve the participants. You need to make sure that you can keep them connected to what’s happening on the screen.

Tip 3: 

Plan a dry run or final rehearsal. Over the last months, I’ve moderated about 30 online events, and there were only 5 where an actual final rehearsal took place. It is very necessary because an online program has typically different elements, and it is essential to go through them. Not only from a technical point of view also for the moderator and speakers in the studio.

Dry runs are often skipped because of budget and time. An hour and a half are usually enough. But believe me; whether you schedule half a day for this or an hour and a half, it’s finally always too short! 

These were my 3 tips for organizing a successful online event. Of course, there is much more to say and to focus on when planning a digital program. So in case you have any remarks or questions, please share them with me.

You can send me a message and I will get in touch with you! 

PS. Are you already following my YouTube Channel? Here you can watch a fun video (in Dutch) with tips on how to organize a successful online event!